Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-02-21
Remarks or Joseph n ManIey of susus-
IA, In the House Of Representatives,
February 18Th, upon the Rrp"rI Of .nc
Committee on Labor In Regard 10 HOURS
OF Labor.


Mr.. Sneaker and Gentlemen Of inc
Hons':
| Fortunately, all political parties when
have representation upon this hoor arc
lcommitted Enthusiastically to the genera
provisions of ten. hour bill. The repnb'
Ilican party in its platform expressly de'
clared it was in favor OF u ten-hour law !:
it's candidate for Governor. in accepting
the nomination of the party, committed
himself 10 this principle. and in his inan'
eural called attention to the promise OF
the party; and take it that there IS not a
republican who will not cordially ana
earnestly support the general provisions
of this legislation, which the maj my "1
the Committee at er great care ana deiiD-
Grafton have perfected and reported to the
House.
England was the first great industrial
country OF modern times, and we are ott'
following in her footsteps in this matter
There, MS well as here. he labortr' IN the
first instance were compelled To accept
such term, AS they could make. and whole
families were compelled to work twelve
to fiji. en- h. urs per dav. There. laborers
worked in ill ventilated and poorly CON
sirurted factories, and in mines. ana their
children al an early are were put to work
at the same tasks. The result was the
moral and physical deterioration ct the
laborer-a condition of things from which
there was no escape. Al the early part o1
this century SO great had this evil become,
that III 1892 IN act was pis>ed'Fbr The pres
ervaiiCn If the health and morals of APP
pientices and other emp Dyes IN cotton anu
other mills. and cotton and other facto-
ries." This act, which owed its passage
To the ravages OF an epidemic disease IN
The factory districts. declared twelve hours
TO be a days work. and work was pr"hl-
bted from nine p. NJ. to six A. NJ. Bu'
The provisions of this &C. simply applied
to apprentices and not 10 the work uf chill
dren residing in the neiyhborhood OF iac-
tories. In 1919 Parliament. by an act,
prohibited children under nine vearj OF
age from working in Gotten mills. and
those from nine to sixteen were not to be
employed more Than twelve hours day
In 1925. bill was passed making Satnr
day practically a holiday; and in 1881
night work in the factories was prohibited
for persons between nine and twenty. one
years of age. The working day for per
sons under eighteen was to be twelve, and
on Saturday, nine hours.
These bills simply applied to cotton
factories. but in 1888 the provisions were
lextended to other kinds of factories.
These acts. as matter Of course. dimin
i>hed the number OF children employed.
In 1885. before the factory acts were in
full operation, it is estimated that there
were $1,000 children employed in 3,l6+
factories. In 1888 this number had been
reduced to 20 QUO children, aid the mum
Der of factories increased TO 4.2l7. In
1874 1t was provided bv law that children
between eight and thirteen should not be
employed in textile industries for more
than six and one-haf hours per day :
: and in 1S47 ten hours was declared a
working day Tor women and persons be
tween thirteen and eighteen; and they
were allowed to work only between six
A. M. and six P. NJ. In 1874 the minimu n
age OF children was raised to ten years ;
and in 1873 a consolidating act was passed
which included that bill and The substance
of all the previous laws.
Thus the government took under its pro-
lection the whole class of women and chill
dren employed in manufacturing indus
tries. Other countries have followed the
example of England Switzerland, Ger
many, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Sweden
Norway, Denmark and many of the States
of our own country have now devel Oped
systems Of factory laws. Pennsylvania
fixes the legal days labor at eight hours
IN the absence OF a special contract and
prohibits the employment of children un
der thirteen Years of age in factories
Children between thirteen and sixteen can
not BE- employed more than nine months
in any one year; nor shall they be so en-
ployed unless they have attended school
three months within the same year. Mas
sachuSetts prohibits the employment of
children under ten years of age in manu-
featuring. mechanical or mercantile estab
lishments; and no child under fourteen
years can be employed except during the
vacation of the public schools, unless dur
ing the year next preceding such employ
ment. he has for at least twenty weeks at
tended some public or private dav school,
under teachers approved according to law
Nor shall any child under fourteen wears
OF age who cannot read and write be en-
ployed In such establishment, while the
public schools are in session. Minors un.
der eighteen, and women, cannot be en-
ployed more than ten hours per day, or
sixty hours per week. The law of Massa
. chuseits relating TO ventilation, cleanIi-
; ness. etc.. OF factories, is patterned after
the English law. Rhode Island has fol
lowed after Massachusetts, and these two
New England States have gone farther
than other CONFERENCE.-The IN our Union
IN protecting the wage earner+ who are
employed IN our factories; but no State
in this Union, nor in any country in the
world. has ever prohibited men from work.
ing more than ten hours a day.
One of the most careful writer's upon
: this subject. in reviewing the history of
factory Legislation. states that the laboring
classes themselves were originally Oh.
posed to the movement, maintaining that
so tar from raising their standard of life
1t tended to lower it. And the factory
laws have been opposed at every stage.
as being an unwarranted case of interior.
ence with the liberty of the individual !;
and many political economists have pro.
tested that the principles of economies
forbid any such interference with freedom
OF contract. Manufacturers objected that
the cost of manufacturing goods would be
so increased that they could not compete
IN foreign markets. Laws which pre-
scribed the age at which labor may be be-